Socket shell



Oct. 9, 1928.

H. HUBBELL SOCKET SHELL Filed Sept. 29, 1923 Patented oct. 9, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,686,813 PATENT oFI-1c: l.-:.l

HARVEY HUBBELL, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT; LOUIE E. HUBBELL EXECUTBIX F SAID HARVEY HUBBELL, DECEASED.

SOCKET SHELL.

Application led September 29, 1923. Serial No. 665,621.

This invention relates to electricv lamp socket shells, and particularly'to an improved means for connecting together the body of the shell and thecap.

It has for an object to provide an improved means for connecting the cap and the body of the shell which may be locked by merely forcing the cap and the body together longitudinally without any relative rotative movement,

and which may be unlocked and disconnected by pressing inwardly on one sidel of the body and then pulling the cap and body apart longitudinally without any rotative movement.

It is a further object of the invention to 16 provide a securing means for this class of devices 'which will have a great advantage in manufacture over the presenty devices of this character.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, I have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specication, and in which corresponding elements are designated by similar reference numerals throughout the various views. In said drawing,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a lamp socket `shell assembled.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the connected portions of .the body and cap Y substantially on the' line l2--2 of Fig; 3 looking in the direction indicated by ythe arrows and on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 3ds a transverse section substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2. 85 Fig. 4 isa view similar to Fig. 2 but looking in the opposite direction as indicated by arrows454 of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the body of the shell.l Fig. 6 is a side elevation thereof.

' Fig. 7 is an end view ofthe cap. lv

vFig. 8 is a longitudinal section thereof, substantially on line 8-8 of Figa-7, and

Fig. 9 is an elevation ofv a portion of the cap showing a slightly different construction of the securing elements carried by the cap.

As is the usual construction the shell comprises a body member 10 and a cap A11 which enclose the works of the socket' comprising the switch and the contacts, which are not shown as they form no art of my present invention. The shell is a so adapted to carry the usual shade holder 12. l

The body and cap are made of sheet metal and are adapted for telescopng engagement,

adapted for the passage of the usual key for operating the switch or the guide 14 for the co -pull chain 15if a pull switch is employed.

The provision of this slot also allows the portions of the body on opposite sides thereof to yield inwardly.

The end of the shell which is adapted to be inserted in the cap is provided throughout the greater portion of its periphery with a series of parallel grooves 16 in the outer wall thereof leading from the end of the body and longitudinally thereof, and they are formed preferably bypressing inwardly the walls of the body. I have shown these grooves as being formed by crimpingor corrugating the walls of the shell, but they may be formed by cut-ting slots in these wallsand in other ways, and therefore, I have used the term grooves throughout the specification and claims as designating these clearance spaces for passage of the. securing elements of the cap whether they are formed by pressing laterally the walls of the shell, by corrugating, by cutting slots in the walls, or any other way found desirable.4 As it will be obvious these grooves may be formed in different ways.' These different forms have not been illustrated. No grooves are provided. adjacent one side of the slot 13, the body bein provided instead with a pair of rectangu ar openings 17 spaced from the end. of the body, and they are spaced from each other and from the next adjacent groove 16 substantially the distance between two adjacent grooves. Diametrically opposite to these openings 17 the grooves are also omitted and the body is pro-` vided with a similar pair of rectan lar openings 18. The cap is provided wlth a series of triangular teeth 19 and 2O which are spaced from each other substantially the distance between lthe grooves'16 and openings 17 and 18, these teeth being located at a distance from the open end ofthe cap and pref- -erably formed by cutting the walls of the cap with an L-shaped slit and then forcing inwardlythe portion of the walls enclosed by this slit. It will be ap arent'that this operation will provide a su stantially triangular tooth integral with the walls of the cap and projecting 'inwardly therefrom. In cuttingy and forming these teeth they are so cut that two adjacent teeth will point in opposite di- 11o tion of the drawing.

ln connecting the ca and body 12 the end of the body carrying t e grooves is inserted in the cap with a pair of teeth in the openings l18 and other teeth 1,9 and 20 extending into the grooves 16. By then giving a combined relative rocking and longitudinal movement between the cap and body member, the portion 21 of the body adjacent the slot 13'will yield inwardly to allow aI pair of teeth to pass to the openings 17 on the diametrically opposite side of the body. llt will be apparent that when the pair of teeth come/intoV alignment with the openings 17 the portion 21 will spring outwardly to bring the teeth into these openings, thus securely locking the cap and the body member together. It will be yunderstood that the edges of the teeth and the sides of the openings provide shoulders which engage; for this purpose. lf it is desired to separate these members, all that is necessary is to press inwardly on the yieldable portion 21 so as tomove the openings 18 from the teeth and then separate the members by a combined rocking and longitudinal movement in the opposite direction from that'made in bringing the elements together. lt will be apparent that in both of these operations no relative -rotative movement between the members is required. In fact, the members are locked against a rotative movement both by coaction of the teeth and the openings 17 and 18, and by coactionof the teeth and the walls of the grooves 16. It is pointed out yabove that two adjacent teeth point in opposite directions, and they are referably so vlocated aboutthe periphery o the lcap that the pair of teeth in the openings 17 will point in opposite directions from the teeth in the openings 18 on the opposite side of the body member. For example, in Fig. 3 the teeth in the openings 17'are shown as pointing toward each other whilethe teeth in the opposite openings 18 are ypointingaway from each other. If the cap and bodv member should -be connected with the teeth shifted around a -d1stance corresponding to that between two teeth, then the teeth inthe openings 17 would be pointed away from each other but the teeth.

in the openings 18 would be pointed toward each other. Thus the straight edges of the teeth are always so arrangedas to engage opi posite sides of the openingsand thus securely loclr the members against relative rotation 1n either direct-ion.

In Figs. 1 to 8 the slits forming the teeth are shown at substantially right angles to each other so that one edge of a tooth is substantially parallel with the end of the cap. However, I may 'if desired incline this edge, as shown at 22 in Fig. 9, to form in effect hooks back of the teeth 19' and 20 so that when the cap and body member are connected the edges of the openings 17 and 18 will seat back Y Leaders that the cap and body member are securely locked together, and that they may be connected and disconnected by simple movements without the necessity of rotating one with respect tc the other.

Having thus set forth the nature of my invention, what/I claim is:

1. In a socket shell having telescoping sections, one of said sections having a plurality of grooves leading from one end thereof and openings spaced from said end at opposite sides of said section, and the other section being provided with a series of triangular teeth projecting laterally therefrom and integral therewith, said teeth adapted to enter said grooves and openings to secure the sections together the inner or transverse edges of the teeth being inclined outwardlyfrom the free ends or points of the teeth toward the inlet end of the section to form in effect hooks to engage sidewalls of said openings.

2. In a socket shell having telescoping sections, the inner sections being provided with ar slot leading from one end thereof allowing a portion of the section at one side of the slot to yield inwardly under pressure, said section being provided with an opening in said .yieldable portion spaced from the end of the Seotion and a similar opening on the o posite side of the section, said section being a so provided with a plurality of grooves in the outer walls thereof leading from its end and spaced from each other and the openings corresponding amounts, and the outer section being provided with a series of angular slits in the wall thereof with the portion of the'wall at the angle of the slits bent inwardly'to provide triangular teeth, said teeth. adapted to enter the grooves and openings to secure the sections together and having their inner or transverse edges inclined from the point toward the inlet end of the section to in effect form hooks to engage an edge of the respective openings and require relative longitudinal movement of the sections. before the yieldable portion of the inner section can Vbe pressed inwardly.

3. In a socket shell having telescoping secsimilar openings on the opposite side of'thg.

section, said section being also provided with a plurality of grooves in the outer walls thereof leading 'from its end and spaced from each other and the openings corresponding amounts, and the outer section being provided with a series of angular slits in the wall there-- of with the portion of the wall at the angle of the slits bent inwardly to provide triangular teeth, the adjacent slits' throughout the circumference of the section being reversed so that adjacent teeth extend in opposite directions rom the wall of the section, and said teeth adapted to enter the grooves and openings to secure the sections together.

.4. In a socket shell having telescoping sec tions, the inner section being provided` with a slot leading from one end thereof allowing a portion of the section at one side of the slot to yield inwardly under pressure, said section being provided with a pair of spaced openings in said yieldable portion and a pair of similar openings on the opposite side of the section, said section being also provided with Va. lurality of grooves in the outer walls thereangle -of the slits bent inwardly to provide.

triangular teeth, the adjacent slits bein vreversed throughout the circumference o the section so that adjacent teeth extend in opposite directions from the wall of the section, said teeth being adapted to enter the grooves and openings to lock the sections together, and alsoso arranged that the pair of teeth in one pair of said openings face toward each other and the pair of teeth in the other pair of openings face away from each other.

In testimony whereof I aix my signature.

HARVEY HUBBELL. 

